The fashion jungle
It’s not the first time I seriously question this ‘international’ clothing brand. What’s wrong this time? You can’t use ‘exploring’ as an adjective; it’s a verb! The correct adjective is ‘exploratory’, and using that to describe a dress is a grammar no-no.
‘Exploring dress’ is perfect for the title of a book exploring clothing in general, but an ‘exploring dress’ is not English. Does anyone approve of ‘verkennende jurkje’ in Dutch? Just wondering. If you’re going to use English, look it up and explore the possibilities first!
July 10th, 2006 at 1:34 pm
Even if the English would be correct: what is being explored? If I were a woman I would be scared of such a dress.
Could be useful too: ‘Don’t worry, my dress already checked which route we should take’.
July 10th, 2006 at 3:30 pm
If I were conducting an investigation into clothes, I might be said to be ‘exploring dress’.
If I were a woman and I had a dress that I wore while exploring, I might call it an ‘exploring dress’ (cf. ‘swimming trunks’ (which don’t actually swim), ‘running shoes’, ‘dressing gown’, ‘smoking jacket’, etc.). But I’d probably be more inclined to call it an ‘explorer dress’.
July 10th, 2006 at 3:44 pm
The adjective is exploratory. You cannot use ‘exploring’ as an adjective, that was my whole point!
Swimming is an adjective, running, dressing, as well, but the adjective for explore is exploratory!
July 10th, 2006 at 6:48 pm
You can still use ‘exploring’ (the gerund or whatever it is) as an adjective to modify any noun if it describes something used for the purposes of exploring! Or something that involves exploration: an exploring expedition/outfit/member/question/group, etc. ‘Exploratory’ is limited to things actually do the exploring.
July 10th, 2006 at 7:21 pm
My dress went to explore the laundry basket 🙂
July 10th, 2006 at 7:36 pm
The text on that fashion site should be exploring the recycle bin.
July 10th, 2006 at 10:26 pm
🙂
July 13th, 2006 at 2:48 am
Exploring is a perfectly acceptable participial adjective (not gerund, in this case.) Case in point:
He comprehended how these and other factors generally influenced the project and shaped the automatic machine, the exploring spacecraft, at its hard core.
(http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4210/pages/For.htm)
July 14th, 2006 at 10:40 am
Calm down Natashka, it’s just a brand – nothing else. Would you buy the famous, grammatically correct “Buy-me-I-am-the-cheapest” label? It is pathetic not to buy a beautiful dress, only because it bears this tiny, invisible label.
As long as people eat McNuggets and similar nonsense, creativity will tolerate no limits.
July 14th, 2006 at 10:46 am
I’m very calm today 🙂 I never said I didn’t buy it, you’re making assumptions.
July 14th, 2006 at 11:55 am
Language creativity is fine as long as people can judge it is creativity.
In The Netherlands the problem is and will be that Dutch think they use English correctly,
whereas they are ‘exploring’ the amazing language of Dunglish. But if you want to be creative: ‘go your gang!’
July 14th, 2006 at 12:15 pm
Many of my clients have no clue who their English-speaking (=non-Dutch speaking) market is. They produce this Dunglish/English and think it’s fine. My guess is it’s vanity and laziness, and maybe a few other deadly sins.
The most important thing to know as a business is who your market is. When it comes to using English, in translation, Dunglish or whatever, 80% of my Dutch clients have no clue. Oddly enough, the Flemish usually have a good reason.
Big companies, small companies, whatever: they feel an urge to have things in English but don’t know why. How can you sell a product or service if you don’t know who your market is? It’s nuts.